ETERNAL FLAME’s third album ‘Smoke On The Mountain‘includes 13 tracks, and featuring Mark Boals (exYngwie Malmsteen, Ring of Fire) and Göran Edman (ex-Yngwie Malmsteen, John Norum) on vocals.

Guests:

Mark Boals – Vocals (ex-Yngwie Malmsteen, Ring of Fire)

Göran Edman – Vocals (ex-Yngwie Malmsteen, John Norum)

Ossy Pfeiffer – Keyboards (Ignore The Sign)

Christian Tatsek – Keyboards Ritchie Kelly – Guitar Solo

Andy Dick – Drums (Bobby Kimball, Glenn Hughes, Ron Young)

Robert Lipp – Bass Gerhard Blum – Bass

Makeus Grünzer – Bass
The album is produced by Michael Schinkel & Helmut Kohlpaintner, co-produced by Timothy Touchton, mixed by Michael Schinkel and mastered by Christoph Stickel. The Album artwork was made by Gustavo Sazes (Angra, Firewind, Iced Earth, Dream Evil).

Timothy Touchton (known by lyrics such as “Go for Gold” Olympics in Seoul 1988, “Sail Away” Joe Cocker as well as 11 Top 40 and 3 top 5 hits), Carsten Lizard Schulz(Evidence One, Midnite Club, Domain) and Rainer Holzapfl did the lyrics.

After the first two albums “Desire” (1998 – Point Music & Dreamchaser Records) and “King of the King” (2002 – MTM Music) it was the end of Eternal Flame. Michael Schinkel (singer and guitarist) and Helmut Kohlpaintner (keyboard player, bassist) decided to work as composers and producers for other musicians and bands and founded the company “enooma-media musicproduction” in Munich. Again and again they received calls, letters and e-mails from fans, with the request to produce a new Eternal Flamealbum. It then started in 2012. Helmut Kohlpaintner and Michael Schinkel discussed the project and quickly found partners for lyric writing such as Timothy Touchton (known by lyrics such as “Go for Gold” Olympics in Seoul 1988, “Sail Away” Joe Cocker as well as 11 Top 40 and 3 top 5 hits). The album was created by further guests such as Mark Boals (ex Yngwie Malmsteen and Ring of Fire) and Göran Edman (ex-Yngwie Malmsteen & John Norum). Other musicians such as Thomas Keller (bass) and Robert Lipp(bass) from past Eternal Flame days as well as the drummer Michael Hencky also shared their know how.

Imperium is the solo project of drummer Mika Brushane. Mika has been playing drums and percussion in various bands since 1981 in all genres from jazz to metal and composed songs for different genres – and this legacy of mixed genres can be heard in the IMPERIUM sound! The music is Melodic Rock which has a big dose of 80’s feel and sounds in it.

The project started in 2012 when Mika composed a new track for the new STRIKE record “We’re back” and realized that there was more songs in him that needed to be released. In 2016, the debut album by IMPERIUM, “Dreamhunter”, saw the light of day on AOR Heaven. In IMPERIUM, Mika is in charge of the song-writing and playing all drums, bass, keyboards and the backing vocals. All lead vocals and guitars are performed by various very talented musicians from the rock/metal scene. Also the album’s post production was handled by top professionals, i.e. it was mixed by Erkka Korhonen (Dark Sarah, Urban Tale, Northern Kings, Ari Koivunen, Raskasta Joulua) and mastered by the legendary Mika Jussila (Nightwish, Children of bodom, Stratovarius, HIM etc.) “Beyond The Stars” was produced and mostly recorded during 2017-2018 by Mika himself at his Groovehouse studio in Vantaa, Finland.

Spock’s Beard are a band who are in a continual state of evolution, as is always the case with genuinely creative musicians. And their new album, ‚Noise Floor‘, fits perfectly into this process. “We are always about evolution, not revolution. But what we have done this time is make the songs more melodic,” believes vocalist/guitarist Ted Leonard. “We still love our crazy prog, but now appreciate how important it is to grab people’s attention early on.” “A lot of our songs on the previous album (2015’s ‚The Oblivion Particle‘) took a little time to make an impact on people,” adds keyboard player Ryo Okumoto. “You had to really listen to them. But this time around, we have crafted music that is more immediate.” As with all Spock’s Beard songs, most of the new album was written by the individual members, and then brought to the rest of the band as high quality demos.

“We all do this type of thing in our home studios,” adds Leonard. “So, by the time they reach the stage where the entire band get to judge them, they are really developed, and therefore everyone can make a reasoned judgement.” Much of what you will listen to here is very much the product of fresh inspiration from the Californian band. “What we do is just gradually let the compositions percolate over a period of time,” explains Okumoto. “There is one song, ‚To Breathe Another Day‘, where we took a part from a different song, because it worked a lot better in the new arrangement. That’s what we do. Nothing is rigid, and everything’s flexible. We delight in finding new ways to make things work.” One key change on this album sees the return of drummer Nick D’Virgilio, who originally left in 2011. But both Leonard and Okumoto play down D’Virgilio’s long term role. “Well, we are very happy to have Nick back with us for the album,” says Leonard. “But right now, it does not go any further.” “We would love Nick to be able to play live with us again,” adds Okumoto. “The trouble is that he has so many other commitments with his time that I doubt he can fit us into his schedule when it comes to touring. But even if we end up finding another live drummer, then we hope Nick will still be able to go into the studio with us in the future.” There are also two violinists, a cello player, a viola player and an English horn featured on the album, thereby giving the sound a slightly more evocative and persuasive twist. So, what can we expect from the new album? Leonard has little doubt about the best way to describe it.

“If you enjoy what we have been doing on the past two albums, then I am sure there will be much that will appeal. Some of the material this time is very bright and melodically appealing, while on the other hand there’s also a lot of dark tracks as well. There’s no connecting themes between the songs; it’s not a concept album. But each song is its own entity.” Spock’s Beard began recording the album in June last year, and in all it took seven months to complete. But it wasn’t an album they worked on consistently during this period. “We had other things to do at times during the seven months,” explains Okumoto. “So, we were not in the studio all the time. The way things work with us, a lot of the recording is done in our own home studios, and then brought together at a later date. Everyone in the band has a hand on the production side, but I do a lot of it with (engineer) Rich Mouser. John (Boegehold, one of the band’s regular writing partners) has a keen involvement when it comes to the production side of the material he’s written, and it’s similar with Alan (Morse, guitar).”

“I suppose everyone in the band has a direct hand in the production, apart from Dave (Meros, bass) and myself,” laughs Leonard. “Mind you, I do take an active interest in what happens in the studio with my songs! “One thing with doing demos before we select the final list of songs is that you can end up with something one person likes and the rest don’t. It happened this time around for me, because there was one track I loved. But nobody else was keen, so it was left off. However, this is a good process, because we are able to make informed decisions on what would work, and what would not.” And if you believe there’s an amazing story behind the choice of the album title, then think again.

“We never like to use a particular song title as the overall title for the album,” says Leonard. “Nor do we like to take a lyric from any song and use that. A lot of the time, it’s a case of coming up with disconnected words, and then seeing what works best. Usually, it’s just a random phrase that paints an overall image to us. This is where ‚Noise Floor‘ comes from. So, if you are searching for any deep and significant meaning behind the choice, then sorry but I am going to have to disappoint you, ha, ha!” Long term fans of Spock’s Beard will find much to commend on what is the band’s 13th studio album. Both Leonard and Okumoto feel it is a natural development.

“What we have always strived to do with every album is take a step forward,” explains Leonard. “But not a giant leap. We know what this band are all about, and the aim is always to ensure we don’t repeat ourselves.” “If you have enjoyed what we have done up until now, then I am sure you will like ‚Noise Floor‘,” concludes Okumoto. “It has all the elements people have come to expect from us, but pushed just a little onwards.” Malcolm Dome London, February 2018

AT THE GATES are innovators. From debut album, The Red In The Sky Is Ours, through comeback stunner, At War With Reality, the Gothenburg-based death metal act have always traversed the left-hand path on their own terms. The Swedes are keenly aware of who they are, where they come from, and how they got to where they are today. In the ‘90s, AT THE GATES spearheaded The New Wave of Swedish Death Metal. In the aughts, then-swansong album, Slaughter Of The Soul, served as a feature-rich treasure chest for a host of upstarts to plunder. When AT THE GATES returned in 2008—a full 12 years after they disbanded—their return was celebrated and the follow-up to Slaughter Of The Soul—now placing handsomely on Top Metal Album Lists—hotly anticipated. Now, four years after At War with Reality, the Swedes are ready to show their indomitable spirit, ceaseless ingenuity, and raw power on new album, To Drink From The Night Itself. Whereas At War With Reality was, to some degree, the logical follow-up to Slaughter Of The Soul, AT THE GATES post-return aren’t tied down to the formula that produced such incredible tracks like ‘Death And The Labyrinth,’ ‘The Book Of Sand (The Abomination),’ ‘Heroes And Tombs,’ and ‘The Night Eternal.’ The proverbial prison in which AT THE GATES were subconsciously housed (as part of their comeback) had crumbled. For To Drink From The Night Itself, the Swedes were finally free of creative limitations, follow-up expectations, and invisible but all-too-real self-imposed restrictions. The Rubicon, as it were, was ready to be crossed and nothing—not even long-standing guitarist Anders Björler, who departed in March 2017—was going to hold AT THE GATES back.

“We’ve always been a hungry band,” vocalist Tomas Lindberg asserts. “We’re always searching for what’s true for us, the real essence of what we want to achieve. The last record is a comeback record after 19 years. To Drink From The Night Itself is a comeback record after Anders left. That kind of pressure keeps us alive and alert, creatively. No one wanted to stop touring for At War With Reality, but Anders was, at the time, done with metal, however. We had been living and breathing metal 24/7. But we didn’t want to force Anders to stay in the band, so we waited him out. When he finally said he definitely was leaving that was the spark that ignited us. We just didn’t want to stop doing AT THE GATES. So, Me and Jonas [Björler] started the To Drink From The Night Itself project. We’ve been completely dedicated to this project for the past eight months. It’s been an incredible ride.”

The loss of Anders wasn’t the death knell of AT THE GATES. Rather, the departure of six-stringer reinforced Tomas Lindberg and Jonas Björler’s resolve to reimagine and reshape the band musically. Certainly, Lindberg, drummer Adrian Erlandsson, and new guitarist Jonas Stålhammar’s other band, The Lurking Fear, could’ve filled the dark gulf had AT THE GATES unceremoniously folded a second time. But, according to Lindberg, there’s room for both. Sating one craving doesn’t always fulfil the next. While The Lurking Fear’s debut album, Out Of The Voiceless Grave, was rummaging through fog-covered cemeteries in the dark, Lindberg and Jonas [Björler] already had four new AT THE GATES songs in the can. The march toward To Drink From The Night Itself was on and the road forward inspired. “The Lurking Fear started as AT THE GATES was finishing the At War With Reality tour,” says Lindberg. “We knew there would be a creative vacuum that we would want to fill. And we did that with The Lurking Fear. We have a thirst or hunger to express ourselves within the death metal genre. It’s like a deep well. Never dry. It’s hard to stop. With AT THE GATES, the new songs came on really fast. We felt we had something special, so rather than quit, we pushed ourselves really hard. I mean, we’ve always been a boundless band. We want to be creative in the death metal genre. The limits are what keep us alive. We wanted to push those limits on To Drink from The Night Itself. This is a big album, we had to pursue it.” Written by Jonas [Björler] and Lindberg together, To Drink From The Night Itself emerged out of very productive and energized song and lyric-writing sessions. Jonas would influence Lindberg and Lindberg would inform Jonas. The dynamic duo were on fire.

After all, Jonas was a key force in the songwriting for both Slaughter Of The Soul and Terminal Spirit Disease. For AT THE GATES’ sixth album, Jonas ensured AT THE GATES’ sonic fingerprint would endure unweathered, while Lindberg’s trademark roars and studious lyrics would continue the band’s erudite message through desperate bouts of aggression. To wit, tracks like ‘A Stare Bound In Stone,’ ‘Daggers Of Black Haze,’ ‘In Nameless Sleep,’ featuring King Diamond guitarist Andy LaRocque, and the title track are definitively AT THE GATES yet they convey so much more.

“A lot of people think the lead guitar player will write all the material and that the bass player is just this other guy,” Lindberg laughs. “Well, that’s just not true with Jonas. Me and Anders worked the hardest on the arrangements and stuff for At War With Reality, but what most people don’t realize is that Jonas wrote 40 percent of At War With Reality. He also wrote 40 percent of Slaughter Of The Soul and Terminal Spirit Disease. He’s been a primary songwriter in AT THE GATES for a long time. Anders said to me once, ‘Jonas always writes the best stuff!’ The way we worked on this album was pretty free, no holds barred. There was total creativity, total fluidity in the songwriting. We wanted to prove ourselves.”

As for the other Jonas [Stålhammar], he officially replaced Anders in September 2017, late in the songwriting process. But Jonas didn’t come in blind. The members of AT THE GATES have known Jonas for nearly 30 years. His addition to AT THE GATES was a no-brainer. Like Lindberg and Jonas [Björler], Jonas was part of Sweden’s death metal domination in the early ‘90s, playing significant roles in underground legends like God Macabre, Utumno, and Abhoth. Today, he moonlights in Bombs of Hades, Crippled Black Phoenix, and The Lurking Fear, while serving as AT THE GATES’ lead guitarist.

“He’s the only guy we tried out,” says Lindberg. “We wanted someone who understood AT THE GATES from the early days, where the band comes from. We also wanted someone who was aware of where we wanted to take AT THE GATES. Jonas has all the same musical reference points as we do—from death metal and prog rock to krautrock and hardcore/punk—so we knew he’d be the right fit. The only thing we needed to shake out was, ‘Can he technically pull it off?’ After the first rehearsal, we asked him, ‘Do you want to join?’”

Conceptually, To Drink From The Night Itself originated with German writer Peter Weiss and his novel, The Aesthetics Of Resistance. The idea was to capture the desperation of a struggle or resistance, where victory is unachievable yet the fight presses on. Lindberg also was enlivened by Weiss’ discussion of art—all forms—via his characters and its various uses, either as a weapon of oppression or as a signal of opposition. As witnessed throughout history, art has been and will be labeled unfairly decadent or ridiculously triumphant or secretly obstructionist. “We’re not a political band, but it’s a very left-wing book,” Lindberg affirms. “Basically, this book is a real brick. Well over 1,000 pages. No chapters, just words and more words. He goes through the whole history of the Resistance in Europe during the ‘30s and ‘40s on different levels. His main characters are these art students, typical left-wing people. There’s discussion about art and how it can be used as a tool for oppression or revolution or resistance. I’m very intrigued by the whole essence of it. To Drink From The Night Itself, for me, stands for that. To live through art. Make it mean something. Not to look back. Just make art. Our art means a lot to us. It’s the reason why we get up in the morning. So, we drink from the night itself. And I think our fans do too. The night is a metaphor for the essence of pure art.” To Drink From The Night Itself was recorded at three studios. The vocals were captured by Per Stålberg and Olle Björk at Welfare Studios in Gothenburg over a three-week period, while the rest of the music—drums, bass, and guitar—were recorded by producer Russ Russell at Parlour Recording Studios in the UK over a two-week session. The strings—cello, violin, and double bass—were then tracked by Martin Jacobson at Rovljud Studios in Örebro. The entire effort was produced by Jonas [Björler], Lindberg, and Russell over three weeks, with Russell taking an additional two weeks to mix and master.

“We had a clear vision where we wanted to take the album musically,” says Lindberg. “We wanted strong metal songs. We’re all fans of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and old school metal in general. We wanted to take that into the death metal genre, our home turf, so to say, made grittier, more brutal. We also wanted to take the progressive elements of the band and make them into good, solid, songs. We didn’t want them to be hard to listen to but rather easy, as part of a good song. Russ understands all that. He understands where we come from. I mean, if we told him we wanted a really brutal sound, that’s what we’d get from Russ. He wouldn’t try to over-produce it, to make it cleaner. He’s got a lot of heart and energy. It was a real pleasure working with him. The sessions were straight forward. We went in with the idea to make a brutal if dynamic death metal record and that’s what we ended up with.”

For the cover art, AT THE GATES rehired Romanian artist Costin Chioreanu. AT THE GATES wanted a very different cover and design from At War With Reality, so they tasked Chioreanu with a multi-format, single-color concept. That is, different but related art for each format—CD, vinyl—including the 7-inchs and bonus CDs, which feature album songs with different guest vocalists, like Rob Miller from Amebix/Tau Cross, Per Boder from God Macabre, and Mikael Nox Pettersson from Craft. With this design in mind, Chioreanu’s art, using Lindberg’s literary ideas, ensured that all facets of To Drink From The Night Itself were encased in art. “We wanted to work with Costin again,” Lindberg says. “He understands the band. Costin has a very distinct style. We wanted him to try different things this time around. I was heavily involved in the art direction, but I will say Costin exceeded himself. He’s done so much art for this record that we don’t really know how to fit it all in. For the different formats, there will be different covers. Thematically, they’re similar and it’s all very red. Redder than The Red In The Sky is Ours.”

As for what’s next, Lindberg is hopeful that a freer, more enterprising, and more savage AT THE GATES will resonate. The frontman and the rest of AT THE GATES are preparing for the shock and awe of tracks like ‘Palace Of Lepers,’ ‘The Chasm,’ ‘The Colours Of The Beast,’ and closing epic ‘The Mirror Black.’ But most of all, AT THE GATES are eager to get out on the road to play To Drink From The Night Itself for fans the world over. Resistance is, after all, not futile.https://www.facebook.com/AtTheGatesOfficial

Celebrating the band’s history, »Live In Overhausen« captured not one but two album anniversaries. Fans assembled on April 16, 2016 at Turbinenhalle 2 in Oberhausen, Germany for the 25th anniversary of »Horrorscope« and 30th anniversary of where it all began, »Feel The Fire«. A full night of kill from the past played loud and in its entirety!

Bobby Blitz comments, „From the stage to your eyes and ears! »Live In Overhausen«, celebrating »Feel The Fire« and »Horrorscope« in one, filmed/recorded concert in Germany from 2016. A rare, two hour look at what has transpired over three decades in one of the world’s hotbeds of metal. Hang on to your hats kids, its going to be a ‚THRASHY-RIDE‘!“

DOOMSDAY OUTLAW is a ten-legged hard rock, blues tinged juggernaut based in darkest Derbyshire. Coupling huge riffs and killer grooves with soaring, soulful vocals to deliver timeless tales of heartbreak and redemption, the group is set to show off its distinctive sound to the legions of hard rock faithful around the globe via a new album,‚Hard Times‘, which is set for worldwide release via Frontiers Music Srl in May 2018.

Doomsday Outlaw vocalist Phil Poole says: „Not wanting to sound clichéd, but we’re so excited to be sharing our new album with the world. We’ve given everything to create something we are really proud of and having the opportunity to share it is really what’s it’s all about. Whether you buy the record, just listen to it, or come and see us live, getting feedback from fans is amazing and is a feeling that never gets old. This is a big year for us and we can’t wait to get cracking.“

Drummer John Willis adds: „Phil is our ace in the hole. Everything else was in place with the songwriting and performance, but Phil has helped take the band to the next level.“ Poole joined the already well-oiled quartet of Steve Broughton and Gavin Mills (guitars), John ‚Ironfoot‘ Willis (drums) and Indy (bass) in June 2015, after which the band really gelled as a cohesive unit. Wasting no time in crafting a killer new set, they subsequently hit the road and have shared stages with the likes of Stone Broken, Warrior Soul, Vintage Caravan and Electric Boys.

Self-released in May 2016, the band’s debut album, ‚Suffer More‘, received glowing notices from UK magazines such as Powerplay („I doubt you will hear a better album this year. 10 out of 10“) and Fireworks („Now THIS is a find!“), an ‚Album of the Week‘ accolade from website Worship Metal („Doomsday Outlawcould release an album every 6 weeks and it’d be better than 99% of the bands out there“) and many more rave reviews. Mounting critical acclaim plus a burgeoning reputation as a killerlive act brought the band to the attention of Frontiers Music Srl, a company that is already home to rising UK stars such as Inglorious, Wayward Sons and Bigfoot, in addition to hard rock legends like Whitesnake and Uriah Heep. Realizing their enormous potential, label president Serafino Perugino wasted no time in signing the band.

With their new album and a ton of live shows locked in, including a string of summer festival appearances, 2018 is destined to be the Year of the Outlaw!

ONLY HUMAN is the fifth studio album from UK melodic rock stalwarts Vega. The band produced the album and also teamed up with the legendary Canadian musician and producer, Harry Hess of Harem Scarem on mixing and mastering to bring their fans another gem of a melodic rock record! If you’re very lucky, there may be occasions in your life when you find a band and you realize you’ve discovered something a bit special. Sure we’ve all heard ‚great‘ bands who release ‚great‘ albums, but VEGA is indeed a band that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and give you that butterflies in your stomach excitement as you listen to the songs on an album for the first time! „We wear our love of 80’s rock music on our sleeve, but we also have injected our love of modern rock music to it. We aren’t trying to rehash anything: the sound we have achieved is 100% VEGA. We didn’t want to try and guess what people expect and get it wrong,“ says singer Nick Workman. Following the release of their fourth studio album, ‘Who We Are’ in 2016, Vega remained busy promoting that album before jumping right back into the studio to record the follow-up, ONLY HUMAN. Promoting their last studio album, VEGA toured with Magnum, Dan Reed Network did a headline gig at the O2 Academy 2, appeared at the Steelhouse Festival, headlined Melodic Rock Night in Padova, IT, and hit Spain for a handful of dates. Additionally, they appeared at Derby At The Spot, Planet Rock’s Winter’s End Festival, Hard Rock Heaven AOR 5, Nordic Noise, Amplified Festival, and Rockingham Festival. “Only Human” truly sees the band taking their song writing and performance to the next level. Be sure to catch the guys on tour!

LORDS OF BLACK is the band fronted by in demand vocalist Ronnie Romero, renowned guitarist Tony Hernando, monster drummer Andy C and new bassist Dani Criado.

The guys originally got together after the farewell tour of Tony and Andy’s previous band, Saratoga. Tony and Andy decided to join forces with one of the best singers of the underground scene in Spain, the Chilean born, Ronnie Romero. The vision was to form a metal band with a modern approach, yet be catchy, melodic and progressive. After months of intense and hard work on the songs, the band released their acclaimed self-titled debut album independently in 2014. Metal Hammer Spain deemed it: “The Best Metal album released in Spain this year”.

Then the news of Ronnie Romero joining the new incarnation of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow was revealed. This brought the band to the attention of the international media and music fans. In particular, the words of Ritchie Blackmore describing Romero’s voice as a “cross between Ronnie James Dio and Freddie Mercury” piqued hard rock and heavy metal journalists and fans’ interest.

The band signed on with Frontiers for the release of their second album, “II”, an album which blew the minds of fans of modern melodic metal. Co-produced, mixed and mastered by Roland Grapow (Masterplan, ex-Helloween), “II” was an album chock full of superbly crafted songs that gave further credence to the band’s immense talent.

In the time since, Ronnie made his live debut with Rainbow to much critical acclaim, partnered up with Magnus Karlsson (Primal Fear) on the new band The Ferrymen, and most recently, was enlisted by legendary Gotthard guitarist Leo Leoni to front his new project, CoreLeoni. Now that even more of the world is aware of Ronnie’s incredible talents, the time couldn’t be more perfect for Lords Of Black to unveil their newest metal masterpiece, “Icons Of The New Days”!

NOTE:Bass guitar on album by Tony Hernando. Piano, Synths and Keyboards on “Icons Of the New Days” and “Not In A Place Like This” by Andy C. Keyboards, Synths and Synth Guitars on “World Gone Mad”, “Forevermore”, “King’s Reborn” and “The Edge of Darkness” by Tony Hernando. Piano on “Fallin’” and “The Way I’ll remember” by Víctor Díez.

The unmistakable voice from one of the most loved hard rock bands of the early 1990’s is returning this May. Jizzy Pearl of Love/Hate is back with his new solo album ‘All You Need Is Soul’.

“In my opinion this is the best record I’ve done since ‘Blackout in the Red Room.’,says Jizzy. “It captures all the energy and power of that album with great songs, high energy vocals, big drums courtesy ofDave Moreno(Puddle of Mudd) and amazing guitars from Love/Hate guitaristDarren Housholder.”

From the opening vocals of blistering first song ‘You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone’ to the effortlessly cool album closer ‘Mr Jimmy’, Jizzy’s new record is brimming with fresh new music that’s easily recognizable whilst contemporary in its delivery. Listen closer and you’ll discover the hard-rocking groove of ‘High For An Eye’, the funk rock of album title track ‘All You Need Is Soul’ and many more new favorites. Make no mistake, Jizzy Pearl has returned and he’s better than ever.

Jizzy Pearl and Love/Hate burst onto the scene in 1990 with the debut album ‘Blackout In The Red Room’ and proceeded to take the UK by storm with Best Album of the Year from Kerrang! and Metal Hammer magazines. Playing sold out shows and opening for Skid Row, AC/DC and Dio put Love/Hate on the map. MTV hits ‘Why Do You Think They Call It Dope, ‘She’s An Angel and the band’s follow up album ‘Wasted In America’ has ensured a loyal following to this day.

Anglo-Antipodean Monsterworks to release new album Scale and Probability on Eat Lead and Die Music.

The Fermi Paradox asks: „why, in a vast universe where the probability of life evolving in multiple places would seem a certainty, have we not made contact with other civilisations?“ Monsterworks‘ sixteenth album Scale and Probability attempts to answer that question. Recorded at Rockfield Studios, Wales (Queen, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Coldplay, ugh) and mastered by Dan Swanö at Unisound, Sweden the band has gone for a full dynamic range approach to its music. Frontman Jon says:

‚While there is a growing movement towards dynamic metal production, it is still all too common for the music we love to be overcompressed to make it sound louder, known as ‚brickwalling‘, crushing the natural dynamics and causing listener fatigue. My band may have even been guilty of it a bit in the past, but no more. I urge you to demand the best sound quality from other bands and record labels. Full Dynamic Range or nothing (and not charging extra for it in an HD download). Not everyone can afford to record in great studios, but everyone can take the sensible decision not to ruin their own music during the mastering process in a futile attempt to fight and lose in the Loudness Wars….. and don’t even get me started on drums that sound like typewriters and guitar amp simulation software! This has been a public service announcement…. also please buy our album.‘

Monsterworks‘ Scale and Probability will be available as an FDR HD lossless download through Bandcamp with a PDF lyric book (honestly, it is stupid that most bands don’t offer this simple added extra). CDs, vinyl and especially cassettes are made from dead dinosaurs and are inferior sound sources to an HD download. That is science. You are of course welcome to download a 320kbps MP3 rather than the lossless version because, honestly, science also says you won’t be able to tell the difference, but its nice to know what we deliver is in the same form it left the studio.

FRONTLINE from Nürnberg, Germany belong to the pioneers of the German hard rock scene. Founded in 1989 by Robert Böbel (guitars, keyboards; EVIDENCE ONE, PHANTOM V), Stephan Kämmerer (vocals), Thomas Riess (bass) und Stephan Bayerlein (drums), their debut album “The State Of Rock” finally hit the stores in 1994 – a true classic which until today still is regarded as the finest album of the band by many. This record also meant the breakthrough for the guys in Japan where they reached # 10 in the rock sales charts. Straightly after the release, FRONTLINE went on tour in Europe and had the honour to open for various great acts such as GOTTHARD, CRASH TEST DUMMIES, BONFIRE, TYKETTO and CASANOVA. In 1995, FRONTLINE pulled out the full acoustic album „Two Faced“. However, personal differences within the band followed and ended up in the departure of Stephan Bayerlein and Thomas Riess in 1996. They were replaced by Thomas „Hutch“ Bauer (Bass) und Rami Ali (Drums; EVIDENCE ONE, SHYLOCK). Still in the same year, FRONTLINE signed a record deal with a new label, recorded the single “Man In Motion” and the album “Heroes” which though officially only saw the light of day in Japan since their European label went out of business. One year later, the band decided to start working on another new album which is well known under it’s working title “Heroes II” amongst the fans but never saw a release. Due to a complicated contractual situation many labels feared to contact FRONTLINE during the following years and the band went back to the underground again until Georg Siegl at AOR Heaven finally showed his interest in the band in the year 2000 and signed them for the first time. Just one month later, the album “Right Attitude” was released which can be regarded as a sort of compilation out of both “Heroes” albums …and “Right Attitude” became a huge success for the band again! The recordings for their 2002 output “Against The World” started the same year, and this album finally re-established FRONTLINE on the international hard rock market. Throughout the months after the release of the best of compilation “Almost Unreleased” (2003) which also featured a couple of rare tracks for the fans, FRONTLINE again went into the studio and started to work on a new album called “The Seventh Sign” (2004). In the year 2006, the last studio album the German group called “Circles” was released.

On May 25th 2018, AOR Heaven now will re-issue the former Japanese only release “Heroes” as limited edition of 1000 copies. The album was re-mastered by guitarist Robby Böbel.

2018 is poised to be a jam packed year for BULLETS AND OCTANE starting with the album release party at The Viper Room in Los Angeles and the subsequent festival and tour dates to be announced. Be on the look-out for BULLETS AND OCTANE in a city near you.

The band has toured in Europe, Japan and North America with bands like Avenged Sevenfold, Stone Sour, Social Distortion, Bad Religion, Eagles of Death Metal, Unwritten Law, Deftones, CKY, Korn and Flogging Molly, amongst others, as well as headlining their own tours.

Bullets and Octane is a hard rock band originally from St. Louis, Missouri and now based in Southern California. They have released 7 full-length albums and an EP since 2003, including their breakthrough album „In The Mouth Of The Young“ while signed with RCA Records. Their 8th full-length album „Waking Up Dead“ is due for release in 2018.

Bullets and Octane exploded onto the scene in 2003 with their debut EP „One Night Stand Rock N Roll Band“ on Critereon Records. 2004 saw the 2nd EP „Bullets And Octane“ and their debut album „The Revelry“ produced by Gilby Clark of Guns And Roses also on Critereon Records. In 2005-2006 they Supported Avenged Sevenfold in America and Europe on the City Of Evil Tour. 2006 was a big year for the band as they were signed to RCA/BMG Records. They released their first major label album „In The Mouth Of The Young“, which was produced by Page Hamilton of Helmet. They played The Download Festival and where on „The Family Values Tour“ with Korn, Stone Sour, Flyleaf and Deftones. They headlined their own UK tour as well. 2007 saw them Leave RCA for Ares Records, release „Songs For The Underdog“ album and tour with Unwritten Law. They had headlining UK Tour with The Knives that year as well. In 2009 they released „Bullets and Octane “ a full length album and Toured the U.K. with Gunfire 76 (Wednesday 13’s project). In 2016 they played Lost Highway motorcycle show and concert with Social Distortion, Foghat and Eagles Of Death Metal as well as releasing a new song „Burning At Both Wicks“. In 2017 back at it full time with a solid line up, released songs and videos for „Bad Mother Fucker“ and „Waking Up Dead“, headlined a very successful tour of the U.K and Sweden. They finished the „Waking Up Dead“ album and played a string of successful shows in Hollywood, Orange County and Las Vegas. In 2018 they are looking to release the album „Waking Up Dead“. They are already slated to headline U.K. dates and Sweden dates in February to kick off the 20 Year anniversary of the band with what has been touted as the most solid line up in its history.www.bulletsandoctanemusic.com

Praying Mantis are pleased to announce their 11th studio album, “GRAVITY”! After the positively warm reception to the band’s last studio album, ‚Legacy‘ (2015), the new album sees the band returning with an inspired, take-no-prisoners set!

“GRAVITY” sees the band keep the same line-up featured on the successful album “Legacy”, featuring Jaycee Cuijpers and Hans in’t Zandt (vocals and drums respectively), who have truly provided a new dimension to the writing process and musical performances. Together with founding members Tino and Chris Troy and guitarist Andy Burgess, they have been instrumental not only in the writing of the new songs, but in providing a new vision in terms of the sound engineering and production.

One of the most influential and famous artists in the rock field, Rodney Matthews (Magnum, Diamond Head, Allen/Lande) has been commissioned to do the artwork for the album in the same style and stunning quality that so many fans loved on the original Mantis albums like “Time Tells No Lies,” “Predator In Disguise” and “Legacy.”

Praying Mantis are a well-established band of melodic hard rockers. They were formed by brothers Tino and Chris Troy in 1973 and together with bands like Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Saxon, and others they spearheaded the NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) movement. While they did not see the same dizzying heights of success as some of their contemporaries, Praying Mantis nonetheless became one of THE most influential bands of the NWOBHM. The band has remained active over the years and still record and plays live regularly.

Ready for some High Action Rock’n Roll out of the gutter? Out of the ashes from SHOTGUN EXPRESS, the dirtiest band ever out of Stuttgart/Germany, MOTOR CITY MAYHEM will continue their legacy with an even dirtier album. SHOTGUN EXPRESS has been the winner of the German Rock and Pop Award as the best (Hard) Rock band back in 2012. They have been on tour with GREAT WHITE before they parted ways with their singer. Instead of continuing with their old brand, they decided to do a complete new start.

With the guitarists Johnny & Scott and bassist Robin as well, the main people from back then are involved in MOTOR CITY MAYHEM. Singer Van also is from the old family, since he was a temporary replacement as a guitarist for Scott in SHOTGUN EXPRESS. The line-up is completed by drummer Armin who came from their fellows STROKER ACE.

MOTOR CITY MAYHEM stands for dirty Street Rock’n Roll from the late 60ies/early 70ies like MC5, BLUE CHEER or THE STOOGES combined with the Scandinavian Street Rock sound like THE HELLACOPTERS, BACKYARD BABIES or GLUECIFER.

The self-produced album „Shitfaced And Outta Luck“ will make you dance, sit on your old triumph bike to ride down Route 66 and brings back the time when Hard Rock music was pure, rude and real.

SOULFLY/CAVALERA CONSPIRACY guitarist Marc Rizzo has set the release date for his new LP ROTATION, in stores May 25th via COMBAT/SPV in Europe. ROTATION is the 4th solo release for Rizzo, following 2004’s Colossal Myopia, 2006’s The Ultimate Devotion (both released by legendary shred label SHRAPNEL), and the independently released 2010 LP Legionnaire. Produced by Chris “Zeuss” Harris (Hatebreed, Soulfly, Rob Zombie, Chimaira), and featuring cover art by Melody Myers (Escape The Fate), ROTATION is a blistering showcase of Rizzo’s pummeling eclectic diversity, showcased on album tracks including, “Spectral Intensities”, “Thrash Boogie”, and title track “Rotation”, combining Rizzo’s penchant for pummeling, low-end riffs, with thrash-intensive leads and heavy latin flavor.

Originally a member of New Jersey latin-metal favorites ILL NINO, appearing on their classic 2001 Roadrunner release REVOLUTION REVOLUCION, and the 2003 follow-up Confession, Rizzo joined SOULFLY in 2004, and has since appeared on all subsequent Soulfly records including; Prophecy, Dark Ages, Conquer, Omen, Enslaved, Savages, and Archangel. In 2007, Rizzo became a member of CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, the side project of Sepultura co-founders, brothers Max and Iggor Cavalera, and has performed on all Cavalera Conspiracy releases including INFLIKTED, BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA, PANDEMONIUM, and the critically acclaimed 2017 release PSYCHOSIS. Also contributing to several of the aforementioned Soulfly albums, including PROPHECY and DARK AGES, was Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, who contributed bass to both releases and did some touring, which led to a connection to Rizzo, and the alliance with Ellefson’s reboot of legendary Metal label COMBAT RECORDS.

“Marc’s an awesome guitar player. He’s a badass.” Says Ellefson. “So when Thom started talking to him about his new record, Zeuss sent over some tracks, and we were all really excited. And it just turned out to be a great, natural fit for the new incarnation of COMBAT. Marc is a brutal, heavy player, but so technically proficient and tasteful, and able to blend so many styles into what he does, whatever he’s doing, whether it’s Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy, or his solo stuff.”

Says Rizzo, “I spent a couple years talking to David and Thom (Hazaert) about releasing Rotation and when the COMBAT thing came up it just really felt right. I have known both David and Thom, literally for the better part of 2 decades, and I’m really excited to have such a killer team putting their stamp on my record.”www.facebook.com/marcrizzoband